Care Kids: Take One
by starsthatshine01
Summary: Sam isn't ready to go back into care. But this time, she's in a much better care home, and when she makes friends and falls in love, she wonders if it's possible to start a new life, and if it's possible to actually settle down... Rick/OC
1. Chapter 1

A small sigh escaped my lips. The clock was ticking away, and it was annoying me. I sighed and leaned my head against the dull wall behind me. If that clock interrupted my thoughts once more, I knew I'd break it with my bare hands, no joke.

"Where the hell is she?" I muttered under my breath, letting another sigh, this time in annoyance. I checked the annoying clock - it had been three and a half hours since she had left for her date. She had promised me, this time, she wouldn't leave me alone. But then, I never believed her.

When Maya, Katie and Billy were around, she had never done anything. But then her boyfriend (at the time…he was long gone by that point) had chucked them out and they decided they were tired of Mum, so they left. I didn't even get a chance to see them. At first Mum pretended they'd run away, but I had known that they wouldn't leave without me, and she admitted that it was her boyfriend's fault.

I stood up, shaking my blonde hair from my face as I did so. I tied it into a messy ponytail before exiting my room and stepping out into the dampness of the living room. Our whole flat was damp, but the living room was the worst. My mum let me have the best room, and that had cracks everywhere and it stank and…well, it wasn't perfect, but you can imagine what the rest of the flat was like.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled out the many tins of chocolate my mum hid away. Roses, Quality Street, Heroes…there were tins and boxes…loads of them. It took a few trips, but I sneaked them into my room anyway. It wasn't really because I wanted them…well, I did, but it was more to spite my mum that I was doing it.

I heard someone knocking at the door. I frowned. Had she forgotten her key again? I walked towards the door and opened it. Police were standing there. I almost rolled my eyes but restrained myself. What had my mother gotten herself into this time? She was always in trouble with the cops. It was so bloody typical. But she wasn't with them.

"Hiya." I said calmly. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Samantha Cloverleaf?" a policeman asked.

"It's Sam. But yeah." I replied. "What's wrong?"

"Could you pack your things away, Miss Cloverleaf, and when you're done, you're coming to the station with us. We will explain everything there." A policewoman said.

I walked into my room, heart thudding. Maybe…maybe my aunt had showed up or something? I knew deep down that it was probably unlikely but I didn't want to think about those places again. I packed my stuff away, including the stolen chocolates and our camping bags. Then I lugged the stuff to the door.

I was bundled into a police car with my stuff, and we drove away from my house.

.

.

.

I was sitting in the waiting room, my bags piled up next to me. My heart was thudding and as soon as the door opened, I forced myself to look up. It wasn't any adults though, it was a girl about a year older than me, with a boy the same age as her. The girl had blue streaks in her hair and the boy was glaring at her. They saw me and stopped.

"In trouble with the cops?" the girl asked, sitting next to me. She seemed glad to get away from the boy.

I shook my head. "They won't tell me why I'm here…I just had to pack my bags and they brought me here. They said they'd explain, but they haven't." I sighed. "I think they're going to put me in a care home. Wouldn't be the first time, but…" I rolled my eyes.

"You too, huh?" the boy said.

"We're care kids." The girl added.

"Ever been to Burnywood?" I asked.

"Yep." They both said.

"My friends don't know that, but I have been." The girl said.

"It's hell under a roof." The boy agreed.

A bald man walked in and the girl and boy stood up.

"Elektra." The girl told me.

"Liam." The boy said.

"Sam." I replied.

They nodded and walked out. Some minutes later, a plump Jamaican woman walked in.

"Sam, right?" she said.

_Wow, she actually got my name right,_ I thought. "Yes." I replied.

"I'm Gina Conway." She told me. "I'm a care worker. You'll be coming back to our care home to stay for a while." Gina said.

I gathered up my bags and followed her out. Elektra and Liam had vanished.

_Here we go again,_ I thought to myself, as we left the police station.


	2. Chapter 2

I hadn't realized it, but I'd fallen asleep in the car, my cheek against the cold window. Gina gently shook my shoulder and I woke up.

"Are we here?" I asked, sitting up.

She nodded. "Everyone else is out, giving you a chance to shower and settle in."

"Yeah, I know, I'm really dirty…the shower at home didn't come out clean." I said, getting out of the car.

Gina put my stuff in my room and I had a long hot shower, washing my hair and the rest of me for the first time in…probably months. I stepped out, made sure the shower was still clean (though why wouldn't it be) and dried myself off, wrapping the towel around me and walked into my room. Thankfully, I wasn't sharing. I changed into a clean red t-shirt, a grey hoodie, dark blue jeans and black converse with white laces (decorated with rainbow colored skulls). I put the towel back and dried my hair with a spare hairdryer Gina gave me. I plaited it and then walked downstairs, into the living room.

I was watching the new Justin Bieber video for Boyfriend. I was frowning deeply; I don't like him much, but the song was okay.

Someone walked in.

"Wow…that video is horrible…" she said, and I whirled round to face her.

She was wearing all pink and her arms were folded. She looked at me and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Carmen." She said grinning.

"I'm Sam." I replied, slumping back to watch the video. "Why…what happened to his voice?! It was all…high pitched and girly…" I was very confused.

"No kidding." A boy said, flopping down next to me. "I'm Rick."

"Nice to meet ya. Sam."

"This is Sam, guys." Carmen said, as everyone filed into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Soon, I had learned everyone's names. Another Justin Bieber song came on… Baby.

"NO!" we all shouted, and our hands slammed over our ears.

"Why…just why?" Lily asked.

"Well, well, well." A familiar voice said.

I turned my head to look. "Elektra?"

"Hey Sam!" she said, grinning as she flopped down next to me.

"Stalking us, are we?" Liam asked me.

"No!" I said indignantly.

"How do you guys know each other?" Frank asked.

"I was down the police station for whatever reason, they were too and we got introduced." I shrugged. "They just said I'd be waiting there…I didn't do anything wrong…to their knowledge." I said, grinning mischievously.

"Like Baby, Baby, Baby, oooh!" the TV sang.

Rick quickly turned it off and everyone cheered.

"Even I could sing better than him." Harry said, and he started jumping around, singing Baby.

I giggled and as he started doing a dance for it, I copied. We were in perfect sync, blasting the words out. Rick and Elektra joined in, then Carmen and Johnny, and soon we were all dancing and singing in sync.

The bald headed man walked in, then stared at us and walked out.

I couldn't take it; I burst into laughter, and Elektra followed suit. We clutched to each other, giggling, and soon everyone was in a laughing heap on the floor.

"That was fun." I said, grinning.

"DINNER!" Gina screamed, causing me to jump.

"Wow…" I said, clutching my hears as I got to my feet.

Rick laughed. "Yeah…the woman can scream." He told me, and I followed him and Elektra down to the kitchen. As I sat between those two, a woman with black hair walked in.

"Hi guys!" she said, smiling happily.

"Hey Tracy!" everyone except me and Elektra.

"Alright Beaker?" Elektra said.

"Hi Elektra." She said, then she turned to me. "I'm Tracy."

"I'm Sam." I replied, grinning at her and taking a bite of my spag bol.


End file.
